The Ties that Bind Us
by Griffin Stone
Summary: (A Race to the Edge/Rescue Riders story) In the aftermath of the battle for the King of Dragons, Hiccup has a book thrown at him. This book leads to some interesting discoveries about Dagur.


**A/N: Please note that this story isn't connected to any of my other HTTYD or Rescue Riders stories. It's using a different timeline and elements. If you want more details, feel free to PM me.**

**It starts right after the final battle of Race to the Edge and contains elements of Rescue Riders, so if you haven't seen both, this won't make any sense. I'm not listing it as AU, because its fairly canon compliant.**

**Fastfins and Divewings are called "Death Divers" by Vikings. Fire Furies' species' name remains the same, an issue I couldn't address in this story.**

* * *

It had been a long day. Recovering the injured Titanwing Dramillion, which led them to the King of Dragons in time for Krogan's ambush of Berserker Island, discovering the King of Dragons and rescuing its egg, too many near-death moments to go around, calming and tending scared, injured dragons, and tracking down friends and family.

And that was before Hiccup was hit by the book.

* * *

_Whap!_

Hiccup staggered at the sudden impact on his back. Toothless roared and twisted, but didn't step away. Hiccup turned and spotted bushes rustling as his "attacker" bolted. Looking down, Hiccup's confusion grew. He picked up the object that had struck him.

It was a book, but the most worn-out book Hiccup had ever seen. The leather cover was warped from water, had a corner missing, and sported the imprint of what seemed to be dragon teeth. Inside, the yellowed pages were singed, faded, and torn.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at Toothless, who rumbled before turning and walking away. After waiting for a moment, Hiccup tucked the book under his arm and followed.

Nearby, Astrid, Dagur, and Heather were talking beside the stables. Snotlout and the twins were helping with cleanup. Fishlegs was absent, while Atali and Mala handled the care of injured dragons. Most of their dragons laid nearby, dozing as they recovered from the day. Stormfly, protectively cuddling the King of Dragons' egg, was the most alert.

"Hey, Astrid, I think it's time we gathered everyone and headed back," Hiccup said.

"Now?" Heather blinked. "But, it's nearly dark and everyone's tired. You're welcome to spend the night."

"We need to find a safe place for the King of Dragons' egg," Hiccup said, trying to ignore his own stiff and sore body.

"Actually, Atali has a plan for that," said Astrid. The young woman was sitting against a rock and fiddling with a wooden handle -the remains of her axe. "She's working at getting word to someone who can take the egg someplace safe."

"Oh, uh…" Hiccup vaguely remembered Atali studying the egg earlier, but he'd been distracted. "Who does she have in mind?"

"Atali thinks that the less people who know where the egg goes, the better," Heather said. "And I have to agree. If the wrong person were to find this egg…"

"Yeah, you have a point," Hiccup admitted with a sigh. "I have to say, I was looking forward to seeing a King of Dragons."

"You think you're the only one? Fishlegs is still in the ice cave," Astrid commented. "Anyway, it could take a few days to get ahold of this person."

"And you're all staying here until then," Dagur said, leaving no room for argument. "Spitelout's headed back to Berk in the morning to tell them what's going on."

"Oh, Berk," Hiccup groaned. "I have to get back."

Toothless crooned, then sprawled on the ground. His eyes dared Hiccup to ask him to fly before morning.

Hiccup chuckled tiredly. "Okay, bud. We'll spend the night."

"Great!" Dagur said. "We've got a nice hut over here, and the stables have plenty of room for the dragons."

"Thanks," Hiccup said gratefully.

Astrid echoed her thanks and dragged herself from the ground. Hiccup arched his shoulders back, making his back pop and causing the book to slip to the ground.

"What's that?" Heather asked.

Dagur and Astrid had already started walking away, but they turned at Heather's question. Hiccup shrugged in response and picked up the book.

"Just an old book," Hiccup said, showing it to Heather. "I think a wild dragon found it; see the marks? Well, something threw it at me, then ran away."

Heather chuckled as she took the book. "A dragon threw a book at you?" She rubbed the cover, then squinted at it. "Hey, what's this? Some sort of dragon emblem?"

"A book about dragons?" Hiccup suggested.

Everyone gathered around Heather while she opened the worn book. Nobody noticed Dagur's eyes widen.

"There's something written here," Heather said, squinted. "'For m…' My? 'For my children, Dalkr and Freya'?"

Dagur's sharp inhale caught the other's attention.

"Dagur?" Heather asked, eyeing her brother.

"Can I… just see that?" Dagur murmured.

Heather closed the book and handed it to Dagur. The Berserker leader ran a hand almost reverently across the cover, then opened the book.

For a long moment, Dagur only stared at the first page. Eventually, he flipped a couple of pages, frame tensing when he came across a page of faded words. He clapped the book shut, startling the others.

"Hiccup," Dagur said. "Where did you find this?"

"Uh… it was thrown at me over here," Hiccup said uncertainly.

"Show me," Dagur said, suddenly intense.

Leaving the dragons behind, Hiccup led the others to where he'd had the book thrown at him. He gestured vaguely, then stepped back.

Dagur walked past the others. He paused and stared at the brush. A couple of times, he appeared to be about to walk forward, only to stop himself.

"Dagur?" Heather approached her brother. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," Dagur said, looking at Heather with such a lost expression that she couldn't respond. "I don't…"

Heather grabbed Dagur's hand, a show of support he rarely needed. She didn't say anything, just watched Dagur's eyes dart to their hands, then back to her. She narrowed her eyes and grinned, like the bushes were an army facing them.

Dagur smirked a bit at her expression, then looked forward. Huffing out a breath, Dagur strode into the brush with Heather at his side.

Hiccup and Astrid traded shrugs, then followed.

Dagur didn't go far before freezing. His eyes darted to a rustling bush, then he relaxed.

"Hey," Dagur said to the bush.

The bush didn't react.

"I think it was just the wind," Heather said.

Dagur let go of her hand and stepped forward. "No, it wasn't. Come on out. I know you're in there."

Nothing moved for a minute. Astrid opened her mouth, then paused when Hiccup grabbed her arm. Hiccup, eyes trained forward, shook his head slightly.

Dagur smiled as an adult, purple Gronkle nudged his way from the bushes. The Gronkle rumbled and shifted uncertainly. Dagur dropped to his knees and spread his arms, causing the Gronkle to roar excitedly and tackle Dagur. Dagur laughed -not his maniac cackle, but a happy, boyish whoop- and rubbed the Gronkle's chin.

"Look at you!" Dagur proclaimed. "You're all grown up now!"

The Riders looked at Heather, who shrugged at Dagur's apparent recognition of this Gronkle. Nevertheless, they smiled at the sight.

"Okay, okay," Dagur said, pushing the Gronkle away. "Where's the others, buddy?"

The Gronkle roared.

Dagur's expression fell. "I don't…"

The Gronkle whined.

"Just talk to me, I'll remember," Dagur pleaded.

The Gronkle stared, then nodded. He roared some more. Dagur focused, wondering if somewhere, somehow…

"_**Others?"**_

Dagur laughed. "Yes, it's still there! Just a little bit. Talk slowly, alright?"

The Gronkle nodded. "_**Others… talk?"**_

"Yes, yes, I want to talk to the others," Dagur said, hoping he was remembering right. "Can you take me to them?"

The Gronkle hesitated, then responded, "_**Yes."**_

"Great!" Dagur hesitated. "Is everyone…?"

The Gronkle whined. "_**Come."**_

Dagur tensed, then straightened and waved to the others. "Follow me. I want you to meet some old friends of mine."

Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather, confused but curious, followed Dagur, who followed the purple Gronkle.

The humans were led to a thinly forested part of the island. The ground was a bit torn up and singed, likely from the fight. To one side, a dark cave sat at the bottom of the mountain.

The Gronkle ran to the cave and roared. His tail wagged in Gronkle glee as three dragons stepped out.

Everyone but Dagur gave shocked gasps.

"Is that…" Astrid trailed off.

"New dragons?" Hiccup finished. His gaping mouth turned up in a smile. "They are!"

The closest dragon was the largest, dirt brown in color with a yellow underbelly. Sunlight reflected off the gleaming spikes on his head, back, and tail. His talons were long and curved, gouging the dirt with every step.

The second dragon was a bright, fiery red with a white underbelly. Her thick horns curved over a long neck and body. She eyed the Riders with suspicious eyes and smoke trailing from her nostrils, acting quite fierce considering she was the smallest of the trio.

The final dragon was sleek and thin, her light green scales glinting with moisture. Broad fins covered the back of her head, and her toes appeared to be finned. Her wide, mournful eyes were fixed on Dagur.

Dagur hadn't moved. When Heather glanced at him, his expression was open and lost.

"Everyone," Dagur said, oddly subdued. "The Gronkle is Burple, the Razorwing is Cutter, the Fire Fury is Aggro, and the Death Diver is Summer."

Aggro rumbled, "_**What want?"**_

Cutter snapped at her. "_**Nice!"**_

Summer only stared.

"Guys," Dagur started. He cleared his throat. "Where's Winger?"

Summer's eyes narrowed. "_**See Winger?"**_

"Yes!" Dagur nodded almost frantically. "Please tell me he's okay!"

The four dragons traded looks, then parted. A fifth dragon stepped outside.

"A… blue Night Fury?" Hiccup murmured. He was behind Dagur, so he didn't see how Dagur's eyes filled with tears.

Winger's blue scales were scuffed and neglected. His light underbelly was covered in scars. The fins on one side of his face were ragged and his muzzle was scarred. His eyes were dull and never lifted from the ground.

"Winger."

Everyone startled at Dagur's cracking voice.

Winger lifted his gaze and roared. Even those without the knowledge of Dragon could understand the pain and sorrow in the slight sound. To Dagur, though, the one word was like a knife to his heart.

"_**Dak."**_

It had been years since he'd last heard his dragon name. After everything, it had been easier to just… call himself something different.

Tears flooding down his cheeks, Dagur spread his arms and stepped forward. Winger backed away, but Dagur didn't stop.

"Don't go." Dagur was practically sobbing as he stumbled on. "Please, I can't… I don't want to lose my brother again!"

Winger paused, and Dagur surged forward. He flung his arms around the dragon's neck. Winger lifted a paw, hesitated, then wrapped both paws around the Berserker.

"Stay," Dagur pleaded. "I can't take you leaving again."

"Again?" Heather asked.

Dagur twisted to give his sister a watery grin. "Did I ever tell you that I'm only your half brother?"

Heather frowned, both at the admission and change in topic. "Half brother… and Winger is, too?"

"Not by blood, obviously," Dagur chuckled shakily. "But when Mom died and Dad thought I was gone, Winger's mom found me. Me and…" Dagur dropped his head.

Winger whined and started to pull away. Dagur held him tighter.

"It's not your fault," Dagur told him fiercely through a fresh wave of tears. "You hear me? It's not."

Winger sighed and slumped, eyes closing. Dagur rubbed his muzzle, then pressed his own scarred face against Winger's. His eyes found Hiccup.

"I never thanked you," Dagur murmured.

Hiccup stared at the Berserker and dragon, coiled together like hatchlings. "For what?"

"For destroying the Red Death," Dagur said. He stroked Winger's muzzle when the dragon shuddered. "She took a lot from me… including my twin sister, Leyla."

Heather and the Riders' eyes widened. Dagur ignored them, instead curling tighter into Winger's paws.

"And I thought I'd lost my brother," Dagur murmured, more to himself than anyone else. To Winger, he whispered, "I thought I'd never see you again. Don't leave me again, please."

Winger pressed his head against Dagur's back. "_**Not go. Never again."**_

* * *

**A/N: So, briefly. In this AU, the Rescue Riders left Huttsgalor to explore, accidentally coming across the Red Death. In the struggle to free the dragons from her control, Leyla (who's birth name was Freya) is killed and Dak is severely injured. He's later found by Oswald (his birth father who, in need of heirs, remarried when his first wife and the twins vanished in a storm). Winger's broken appearance/personality is due to concept ideas that he was the one to, under the Red Death's control, kill Leyla.**

** A few months ago, Prophe-Cass and I discovered the theory that Dak and Leyla were the children of Dagur and Mala. We started messing around with the idea of Dak becoming Dagur after something happens to Leyla, and it only built as we discovered more and more similarities. When I discovered Dalkr (the closest Norse name to Dak) translated to "dagger" I knew I had to do this.**


End file.
